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For more than fifteen years, Robb Armstrong has entertained and enlightened millions of readers with Jump Start, his daily and Sunday comic strip distributed by United Feature Syndicate. One of a handful of syndicated African-American cartoonists, Armstrong brings a unique perspective to his strip with art and storylines that are upbeat, fun and undeniably realistic. Armstrong has lent his characters to several public service campaigns, including the American Diabetes Association's campaign promoting the Diabetes Risk Test and the American Cancer Society's "Great American Smokeout." In 1995, the Religious Public Relations Council presented its Wilbur Award to Armstrong for demonstrating "'excellence in the communication of religious issues, values and themes." He has been recognized by the Governor of Pennsylvania, The Senate, House of Representatives, Department of Justice and Nestle's "Men of Courage" program for his tireless community outreach. Armstrong is a cartoonist who is serious about helping young people set and achieve goals, using himself as a role model. "'I hope some kid who didn't know he could ever hope to be a professional cartoonist sees my strip and says, 'I could do this too!'" In increasing demand as a motivational speaker, Armstrong's calendar is filled with speaking engagements at schools, churches and libraries throughout the U.S., where he inspires young people with the story of his own success, and how they too can succeed if they stay in school and work toward their goals. Armstrong has also appeared as a motivational speaker for major companies such as Merck Pharmaceuticals and has addressed the Library of Congress and The Smithsonian Institution. He has spoken at many high schools and colleges, including Syracuse University, The University of Pennsylvania and The University of Michigan, and served as a visiting professor at The Savannah College of Art and Design. Articles about Armstrong and Jump Start have appeared in Time, Ebony, The New York Times, Black Enterprise and People, among others. He has also contributed cartoons to national magazines including The New Yorker. He has been a featured guest on "Good Morning America," MSNBC and numerous local and national TV shows. Armstrong appears with Joe and Marcy and Wynton Marsalis in a Scholastic mentoring video and book that are used in classrooms to help motivate young students. He has served on the Boards of Directors of the National Cartoonists Society and his two alma maters, The Shipley School and Syracuse University. The youngest of five children raised by a single mother, Armstrong was born and raised in West Philadelphia, graduated from Syracuse University with a bachelor's degree in fine arts and began his career in advertising. Armstrong remembers that as a child he aspired to have a syndicated comic strip, a dream he began pursuing around the age of three, when he started sketching Charlie Brown and Snoopy. Armstrong, a single dad, lives near Philadelphia and the biggest inspirations for Jump Start's characters and stories are his daughter Tess and son Rex. In his leisure time, Armstrong enjoys golf, Kendo Karate and hanging out with his family.
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